Race ResultsWC 2019 Series
Results: OW; OM
WC Silokek
Results: MM, U19M, OM, OW, U23M, U23W
Ibar, Serbia 2019
Results; Video; Photos
EC 2019 Series
Results: R6 Overall; R4 Overall
EC Devil’s Stream
Results; Photos; Video;
EC British Open
Results; Photos
Canada Nationals
Results; Photos: -1-, -2-, -3-. Video H2H.
Pre-WRC, Ziyuan
Results: Men, Women; Photos: Trng, SP/OC, SL, H2H, DR; Videos: D1, D2, D3, D4;
ERC Vrbas, Bosnia
Results and media
EC Results so far
R6: OM; OW. R4: OM; OW.
EC Trnavka
Results: Sprint; Slalom. Photos.
WRC 2019, Tully
Results, Photos, press releases, etc
EC Wildalpen
Results: OM, U23M, OW; Photos
EC Priboj, Serbia
Results; Photos
EC Nottingham
Results, Photos: -1-, -2-, -3-. H2H Video
EC Romania, Dracula Race
Results; Photos
WRC 2018
All results
more archived Race Results
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By IRF admin, on November 20th, 2019  There are a LOT of reasons why this event should be on your bucket list!
Just look at the prizes – a bungi jump off the bridge for first place, a helicopter ride over the falls for second place, a bush drive for third place and a breakfast amongst the elephants for the best flip in Oblivion! And what do you have to do to earn those? Go rafting on the Zambezi!
There are 4 Events with the first 3 earning points for the Overall win, and the 4th having a separate prize.
Event 1 – ZAMBEZI TEST OF THE BEST
Timed race from the Boiling Pot below Victoria Falls to the eddy below rapid #4 “Morning Glory”. Rafts set off at one minute intervals, times are converted into points. Race water distance: 2300m.
Event 2 – ZAMBEZI LE’ MANS SPRINT
Mass start from the pool below Rapid # 5 to the pool above rapid #7. One team member to touch attainment point on river bank at finish. There is a strong element of moving on the rocks here to reach attainment point. Team finishing positions and times accrue points. Race water distance: 700m
One raft at a time down the course with attainment areas, start at Rapid #12 pool. Finish-jailhouse eddy Rapid #13. A timed race with time penalties for missing attainment targets, team positions and times accrue points. Race water distance: 900m with attainments excluded
The Overall winners were Team “Gravity” who defended their title in fine form jumped off the bridge. It was Team “Belgian Chips” who took second and enjoyed that helicopter flip!
 Event 4 – ZAMBEZI SURF & TURF
Best surf in the iconic rapid #18. To be judged in the Waterfront Bar by the festival goers. Not scored in the overall event. And the winners were “Refugees of Trump”- take a look at their winning flip ….
By IRF admin, on November 19th, 2019  With the IRF’s Guide Training and Education System growing so strongly at the moment a new committee has recently been appointed to help take the system to even higher standards.
This new committee is being led by Gaspar Goncz who is the Chair of the GTE Com and has been driving the system since May 2009 and is based in Hungary. New energy has recently come into the system from Mark Hirst who is an IRF Assessor, an advanced Rescue 3 training provider and First Aid Instructor. Mark has taken up the role as Secretary of the GTE and is uniquely positioned in that he travels far and wide therefore gaining knowledge of the rafting industry in all corners of the world which is necessary when working with a system like the IRF’s. He is based in Finland.
The other committee members are Joe Willie Jones who is also the IRF President and based in Chile, Pieter Bekkers who is on the IRF BOD and based in the Netherlands, Andrew Kellett based in South Africa, Gabriel Cote Vailquette based in Canada, Eneko Yarza based in the Basque region, Neil Newton Taylor based in Austria, Alex (Pongo) Baker based in Costa Rica, Nim Bahadur Magar based in Nepal, Tim Marshall based in New Zealand, and Graham (Fredi) Maifredi based in Australia. Behind the scenes we have Raewyn Larcombe who has been administrator to the system for many years (contact).
The new energy in the GTE System has taken it to new levels and we expect it to become even more dominant world wide and we hope to see it being accepted by even more governments as the official system for all river guides.
By Sean, on November 7th, 2019  Presenting to an audience of over 200 from over 20 nations at the inaugural IRF World White Water Rafting Summit, Ian Ponce, Programme Officer of the UNFCCC Programme Secretariat, shared the five key principles of the UNFCC programme and introduced the Sports for Climate Change initiative.
Ian gave an overview of progress to date and highlighted that the IRF will take a lead as one of the two co-chairs of the working group for Principle 5: Advocate for climate action through communication.
The International Rafting Federation (IRF) is one of the initial leading sports federations to be signatories to this United Nations initiative. Fellow international federations (IFs) committed to this Climate Change initiative are the International Olympic Committee, Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), World Sailing, International Ski Federation (FIS), International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), 2020 Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), and World Surf League (WSL), amongst dozens of others.
The presentation followed on from IRF representative Sean Clarke’s attendance at the first working meeting of the UNFCC Sports for Climate Change in Lausanne, Switzerland in September, hosted by the International Olympic Committee at the Olympic Museum. The meeting was well attended by leading IFs where the ground work was set on defining the remit of each of the working groups to take on each of the Five Principles.
The IRF is committed to green and clean events and has led in the past with the first ever certified carbon neutral sports world championship with their 2011 World Rafting Championship in Costa Rica. The IRF are taking bold steps and working with event organisers to ensure that all their future World and Continental level championships abide by the ethos of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and ask that all event organisers commit to being carbon neutral through actions rather than paid carbon credits.
Changes are proposed to the IRF Race Rules for 2020 to introduce mandatory sustainability obligations on participants in addition to host organisers. The IRF are committed to saving our planet. Rafters can be the forefront for climate action. They see the devastating impacts of climate change every time they get on a river. It’s time to come together with all other sports and share experiences and take positive actions to limit or reverse the impact that humanity has on our planet.
#OneWorldOneRiverOneFamily
#AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #ClimateAction #Sports #Sport4Climate #ClimateChange #ClimateAmbition #Sustainability
By Sean, on October 26th, 2019  GAISF Membership Manager Davide Delfini and IRF President Joe Willis Jones after a successful meeting during the 2019 SportAccord Convention. At the International Rafting Federation Congress in Miyoshi City, Japan in 2017, our national rafting federation members voted unanimously that the IRF should continue to pursue its dream of taking rafting to the Olympic Games. In pursuit of this dream, the Congress also agreed that the IRF must finalise the work needed to apply for recognition by the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) at the earliest possible date.
GAISF (formerly known as SportAccord) is the gateway organisation through which Olympic recognition is managed – no International Federation is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) without first becoming a GAISF member. Meeting GAISF membership requirements is a rigorous task, requiring that the IRF supply detailed, substantiated proof that we are the international governing body of rafting sport. This proof can only be gained by many years of following GAISF policy guidelines prior to applying for membership.
At the time our application was submitted, there were 42 requirements that had to be met. This included hosting multiple years of World Rafting Championships and having a record of several years of WADA certified anti-doping testing of our competitors, among the other many requirements. GAISF does not put time limits on the review of membership applications – the review process can continue indefinitely based on multiple factors which are outside of our control.
Delays to our application occurred because GAISF had changes in their administration team due to the untimely death of GAISF President Patrick Baumann in October 2018. Additionally, a new online membership application system with additional evidentiary requirements was launched. These changes required us to restart and update our application. Following discussions at the 2019 annual SportAccord Conference between IRF President Jones, and GAISF, and with the IOC and the United Nations through current sport wide actions on climate change which the IRF have been involved in, GAISF have acknowledged our commitment to membership and have recognised that our interest in membership has been longstanding for many years.
GAISF have informed us they will review our application in October 2019. We are expecting news of the application in the next few weeks. In the meantime, we continue with all our work in raft racing, guide training and education, sustainability, conservation, and building the river family across the globe.
As always, the International Rafting Federation is, was and always will be the only legitimate governing body for rafting sport around the world. We will rightly defend our claim as such. We make no false promises of Olympic fast tracking – sports for the 2020 and 2024 Games have been revealed and rafting is not amongst them. We hope for positive news on our GAISF application but in the meantime, we continue to take positive steps in the global recognition of rafting and ask you to join us in the journey ahead.
I am. You are. We are. IRF
#OneWorldOneRiverOneFamily #AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #StrongerTogether #internationalrafting #RiverFamily #WeAreIRF
By Sean, on October 18th, 2019 
Last Friday, U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica, Sharon Day, showed her support for improving safety in the rafting industry by going rafting on the Pacuare River during the World White Water Rafting Summit finale.
Ambassador Day was one of 207 people from over 20 nations from across the globe who joined together under the banner message of “One World, One River, One Family” for the closing event of the inaugural IRF World White Water Rafting Summit navigating the world-class rapids of the Pacuare River.
The ambassador’s participation is especially poignant since tragedy struck in October 2018, when four U.S. citizens and their Costa Rican river guide lost their lives during a whitewater rafting trip in extreme conditions on the Naranjo River in Quepos. Since that incident, the Costa Rican rafting industry has united to train and certify river guides to international standards by the IRF, to adopt a nationwide code of ethics for rafting guides and companies, to join an IRF pilot project to certify commercial rafting operators, and other measures to improve safety standards.
Tweeting on October 13th, Ambassador Day said: “At the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica, we work with the ICT and the Ministry of Health on regulations, inspections and security to increase the safety of adventure tourism for U.S. citizens and all tourists in Costa Rica. I participated in the first World Rafting Summit, in which we analyzed issues such as the best security practices in equipment and rafting.”
“This is a positive message that the government of the United States is supportive of rafting in Costa Rica. That it is not dangerous as long as safety measures are followed. She enjoyed herself with a big smile the whole time,” said Honorary IRF President Rafael Gallo, who joined Ambassador Day on the Pacuare River trip, along with IRF President Joe Willis Jones and other members of the Summit organising committee.
#OneWorldOneRiverOneFamily #AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #guide #raft #rafting #raftguide #whitewater #rapids #StrongerTogether #internationalrafting #RiverFamily #WeAreIRF
By Sean, on October 17th, 2019  Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, Minister of the Environment and Energy for Costa Rica The message from several international speakers during the World White Water Rafting Summit 2019 was loud and clear: river guides and rafting companies should be the guardians of the world’s rivers. Not only does their livelihood depend on clean and healthy rivers, they spend a considerable amount of time on rivers and, with clients in their rafts, are perfectly positioned to spread positive conservation messages.
Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, Minister of the Environment and Energy for Costa Rica, delivered a powerful message to Summit participants on Oct. 9 that no more dams should be built in Costa Rica. Instead, he pointed to solar energy as the future power source for the country that currently generates 97% of its electricity from renewable sources (primarily hydroelectric dams).
The following day, Ian Ponce, representative of the UN Climate Change Commission, spoke at the Summit to ratify the participation of the IRF in the Framework of Climate Action for Sport. According to Ponce, sports organizations need to play an active part in achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement, that is, climate neutrality by 2050.
Both Ponce and Rodriguez were at the Costa Rica Convention Center attending the PreCOP25 international meeting that precedes the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25) in Chile in December.
The World White Water Rafting Summit did its part in helping preserve the environment and was awarded the Ecological Blue Flag of Costa Rica in the category of special events. The Summit achieved a perfect score of 100 for implementing all the requirements for a sustainable use of resources.
 #OneWorldOneRiverOneFamily #AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #guide #raft #rafting #raftguide #whitewater #rapids #StrongerTogether #internationalrafting #RiverFamily #WeAreIRF
By Sean, on October 17th, 2019  IRF President Joe Willis Jones and IRF Honorary President Rafael Gallo Taking ownership of our environment and rivers while also reducing risk and improving safety were definitely the key messages at the first ever IRF World White Water Rafting Summit.
In a bold move to unite the rafting industry in Costa Rica and worldwide in stronger safety measures and environmental protection, more than 200 people from over 20 nations joined together at the first ever World White Water Rafting Summit of the International Rafting Federation (IRF) in Costa Rica last week. Continue reading Reducing risk, improving safety, empowering rivers: three key messages from the IRF Summit
By Sean, on October 16th, 2019  Five months today, top teams from around the globe will start official training on the Futaleufú. Will your team be one of them?
Twenty years ago the International Rafting Federation was a young and developing global sports federation. The third Camel White Water Challenge took place on the Futaleufú river with teams from across the globe. Today many of these teams still race and still win medals.
It’s time to revisit and see if the top teams of today are as good or better than those original teams.
Competition organisers have invited the top 15 Open teams from this year’s IRF World Rafting Championship in Tully, Australia. The top 10 men’s and 5 women’s teams.
Competition is now open for up to an extra 15 teams from around the globe. A couple of criteria must be met: Continue reading #AreYouReady to race in Futaleufú?
By Sean, on October 16th, 2019 
As the global governing body for rafting sport and the globally recognised standards setter for raft guiding through the IRF Guide Training & Education (GTE) system, the IRF are taking another pioneering step forward in rafting safety through the implementation of the IRF Rafting Operator Accreditation.
Two days of discussion and sharing of experiences of raft guiding from around the globe proved the perfect presentation pad for the IRF’s Recreational Operators Accreditation. So at the conclusion of the inaugural IRF World White Water Rafting Summit, President of the IRF Joe Willis Jones and Honorary IRF President Rafael Gallo proudly announced that Costa Rica will be the pilot nation for the IRF ROA implementation.
Several years of planning and hard work have culminated in the program that has now been presented for commercial operators to be reviewed and assessed under the IRF system in order to be able to demonstrate their compliance with the IRF’s Guide Training & Education scheme for rafting operators. The system will allow accredited providers to be listed on the IRF website and media channels and also to self promote themselves as rafting operators who meet the highest standards globally recognised.
Costa Rica Sports Association for Adventure and Paddling (ADAR) have committed to leading Costa Rica’s drive for safety management and delivering the highest global standards of raft guiding by all commercial operators in the country. ADAR will work closely with the IRF’s over the coming 12-18 months to pilot the accreditation system in preparedness for rollout to all nations.
Stay tuned for updates over the coming months for how the implementation and pilot are progressing and how you can get involved and ready for the full implementation.
#OneWorldOneRiverOneFamily #AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #guide #raft #rafting #raftguide #whitewater #rapids #StrongerTogether #internationalrafting #RiverFamily #WeAreIRF
By Sean, on October 15th, 2019  At the conclusion of the International Rafting Federation’s inaugural World White Water Rafting Summit, leading global rivers campaign organisation International Rivers and the IRF signed an historic Memorandum Of Understanding to bring together the common goals of both organisations to ensure that all rivers of the world have a voice.
Introducing the agreement, summit MC and IRF Sustainability Lead, Sean Clarke, presented a short film on the impacts of a large global corporation attempting to offset their carbon footprint through the purchase of carbon credits. The unfortunate reality being that the carbon offset is actually funding the destruction of the Alto Maipo river in northern Chile. A stark reminder that our rivers are still at great risk in spite of the current global push for carbon neutrality.
Following the short film, Monti Aguirre, International Rivers Latin America Program Coordinator and Joe Willis Jones, President of the IRF shared with summit participants the common beliefs and goals of both organisations. Recognising that all of us as users and friends of rivers, are the best placed individuals and collectively as organisations and the river family, to be the global voice for rivers across the world. We can unite under a single banner to ensure that our local rivers and waterways are not disrespected or worse. To ensure that any projects large or small that impact the diverse, unique and fragile biodiversity of each and every waterway, need to understand what is at risk and ensure that our waterways have their voices heard.
In a short but earnest and frank statement, both the IRF and International Rivers pledged to work together for the benefit of all rivers and waterways across the globe.
Continue reading IRF and International Rivers in historic agreement to be better stewards to the world’s rivers
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Photo Albums
 ERC 2019, Slalom  WRC 2019, Downriver  WRC 2018, H2H  WRC 2017, Slalom  WRC 2016, Downriver  WRC 2015, Citarik River, West Java, Indonesia, (Masters Women, Slalom, 1st, Czech Republic) 
WRC 2014, Downriver
 WRC 2014, Sprint  WRC 2013, H2H  WRC 2013, Slalom  ERC 2014 |
With the IRF’s Guide Training and Education System growing so strongly at the moment a new committee has recently been appointed to help take the system to even higher standards.
Presenting to an audience of over 200 from over 20 nations at the inaugural IRF World White Water Rafting Summit, Ian Ponce, Programme Officer of the UNFCCC Programme Secretariat, shared the five key principles of the UNFCC programme and introduced the Sports for Climate Change initiative.
#OneWorldOneRiverOneFamily #AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #guide #raft #rafting #raftguide #whitewater #rapids #StrongerTogether #internationalrafting #RiverFamily #WeAreIRF
Five months today, top teams from around the globe will start official training on the Futaleufú. Will your team be one of them?
At the conclusion of the International Rafting Federation’s inaugural World White Water Rafting Summit, leading global rivers campaign organisation 
